New red CB450DX 89/90 owner - looking for opinions.
May 31, 2024 22:12:24 GMT
bazzer and Martin like this
Post by hrd450dx on May 31, 2024 22:12:24 GMT
What's up!
I'm Junior, 25, buying my first real bike (after messing with 2 stroke mopeds and motorized bikes for more than 3y). "Mechanically inclined" as some would put it, I took apart a few engines and rebuilt them more than 5 times, but this is the first real bike I'm working on (except for some CG125's, but those are way simpler compared to this, and they weren't mine), so I'm taking it slow and steady.
Just bought this beauty about 2 weeks ago, and I'm looking for some opinions and tips from you wise folks. This has been my dream bike for a while, I was originally going to buy an 2001 XT600 for a little bit cheaper, but when I saw this bike pictures, I just couldn't resist, my girlfriend also liked it better too so that was the final push and I opened my wallet.
It's a Brazilian model (I live here) and has god knows how many miles on it. Odometer is new and wasn't set to the old mileage, built in 89, 90's model. Ran less than 5000 km's since last rebuild according to the old owner (and I trust him, old collector, has a 70's CB750F as well along with a 1200GS and a pristine original RX80, dude had no reason to lie, had some pretty nice conversation with him as well). It was collecting dust on his garage and I came to save it from that fate.
Rides like a beast, named her Abaddon since it feels like it wants to kill me whenever it's close to 6k rpm. Also, feels like heavy bike to me (only ever rode 125's and mopeds) and I still haven't managed to get it on the freaking center stand (STRUGGLE). Got used to riding it though, never fell on a stop at least, received a couple of tips for riding heavy stuff from a friend who owns a Virago.
in case the image doesn't load, here's the link: i.imgur.com/2StWMXN.jpeg
Now, to work on fixing it, here's the stuff I found and fixed so far:
I mostly used a youtuber mechanic who only works on CB400s and 450s (really old school old guy, 99% of the time recommends following the manual), along with the owner's and service manuals and parts catalog - If someone needs/wants it, I can share, but they're in Brazilian Portuguese.
Air box: Had to clean the whole thing, lots of brushes and towels, made sure to only use water as to not cause issues with the plastic.
Fuel valve: While not leaking, the o-ring that attaches the filter to it is old and cracked, bought a new fuel valve and will put the new o-ring on the current one that's on the tank. Ended up with a spare valve if it ever leaks.
Edge of the head fins being painted: Just used paint sandpaper, looks beautiful now (took the pic before doing that) only did it on the edge of the head fins, like original. If it was up to me, it'd be entirely silver like the weaker CB400's that sold around here to help with cooling, but it is what it is. If it doesn't overheat, I'm happy with it.
Bad idle: Took out old gas from the tank, set the idle screw right (1300 rpm-ish), runs like a beauty now, half choke and it springs to life when cold (around 10C, 50F)
Clutch cable : Just needed adjustment, bike wanted to go forwards when the entire clutch was pulled. Took it out, adjusted, put it back in, perfect now.
Parts of the wiring harness touching the head cap: Zip-tied it, bike is missing a couple of clips, will do for now.
Throttle assembly + switches: The one on the left was a new OEM/reproduction one from a very nice brand, the throttle one however was original and so full of crap I ended up buying a new one from the same brand as the left one, works beautifully, no mods required, also made me open the headlamp and inspect the state of the harness and connectors which are not too bad (for a 35y old bike especially). Also was lucky enough to be able to disassemble the throttle and return cables without removing anything from the carbs (an absolute win in my book).
Wiring harness: it looks like it still has the original one. Hasn't given me any issues yet so I'm not replacing it, however, it's old and not flexible at all anymore, thankfully, I can find a pretty decent one for cheap from the same OEM that makes the switches.
Brake oil: As you can probably see from the picture, dangerously low, found one of the drain plug/screws was full of "stuff", ordered a new one, thankfully Honda still uses the same screw and part number to this day on newer bikes, pretty easy to find. Will be a B# to replace and drain however, I'm sure. Any tips are appreciated. Will work on it this weekend.
Engine oil + filter: For oil, I bought the exact model the manual tells me to, which where I live is the "Mobil Super Moto 20w50" (mineral) - Was thinking (and still kind of am) of putting synthetic on it, something nice like a Motul 7000 (20w50 ofc), but it's already running on Mineral and I don't want to flush it all, according to the old owner, engine ran for less than 5k km since last rebuild, and the oil that's currently on it has only been used for around 100km's. Still, old as hell, don't want to risk it. Mineral is also very cheap so not a problem. Let me know what you guys think of this. I want to baby this thing as best as I can. Filter is an OEM one but I'll put a premium one on the next change. Will do the change this weekend.
Tank: Sent it to get painted by a pro. Cost me a small fortune but I know the guy's work and he's awesome at it. Will take 10+ days which is why I'm working on fixing everything I can before it arrives. Also bought a new fuel float since the old one didn't work anymore. I have a plastic tank that I'm using just to turn it on every now and then. Also, verified that the ignition coils and CDI are still original when I took off the tank, which is another win in my books.
Carbs: Installed new hoses, but still gotta clean the carbs. It runs perfect, no issues whatsoever, but when I drained them, I saw what may have been "stuff" going through the transparent hoses. I'll work on this after finishing the oil and getting the tank repainted. Will try to get new clamps as well since the original ones kind of have a bad design.
Odometer button (trip reset): It was stolen according to old owner, buying new one next week.
Steering bearings: It turns just fine, no issues, but if my knowledge from bicycles is anything to go by, I better inspect and grease them before something happens, this is one of the few things I might take her to a mechanic to do.
Suspension, bushings, bearings and stuff: The rear suspension is brand new and pretty nice, it's on 0 pre-load (lowest setting I think) and I didn't feel the need to mess with it on a couple of rides (rode less than 50km), verified all bushings, tried to shake the wheel, that kind of thing, pressed an aluminum screwdriver against what I could find to see if there was any play, all seems good.
Now, for the MODS I'm thinking of doing in the future:
For clarity: I don't like cafes, customs or any of that sort of thing. However, I don't care about "originality" either. I like ride-able and reliable bikes. My plan is to ride it, not collect it or leave it collecting dust as the old owner did, and I think these could make it better.
- Iridium Spark Plugs: No-brainer, I can find good NGK ones for cheap, all I have to do is gap them to .6~.7mm (according to Manual) and should be fine.
- 2x1 Exhaust: They still make brand new ones for this bike around here, and they sound sweet. I'm not into loud stuff but the ones currently on the bike are OEM (although original-looking) and are kind of loud already, so by doing this I could remove the ugly (as hell) equalizer and save some weight. I imagine I'll have to enrich the mixture a little bit but I don't care about km/l (or mpg), I'll study this further before making that decision though
- CB400 II handlebars: They're higher (about 4cm), and still fit with the original plastic cap. Will need to replace throttle cables at the very least so I'm still on the fence about that, although I loved those handlebars and have used them already on other bikes (including motorized bicycles).
- LEDs: To help with the aging stator and rectifier, mostly. Headlight should be easy since it's just an H4 plug but I know turn signals and other stuff may (or will?) require messing with relays and wires, so I'm unsure about those. Headlight according to the manual is what draws the most power of the bike so I think I'd feel pretty OK only replacing it. That said, the current lamp is a Philips unit and it's looking very nice, so I might take my time. Battery is from a brand that has very good reputation as well.
Let me know what you guys think, any pieces of wisdom are appreciated, wrote this as I'm going mad from waiting for parts to arrive.
I'm Junior, 25, buying my first real bike (after messing with 2 stroke mopeds and motorized bikes for more than 3y). "Mechanically inclined" as some would put it, I took apart a few engines and rebuilt them more than 5 times, but this is the first real bike I'm working on (except for some CG125's, but those are way simpler compared to this, and they weren't mine), so I'm taking it slow and steady.
Just bought this beauty about 2 weeks ago, and I'm looking for some opinions and tips from you wise folks. This has been my dream bike for a while, I was originally going to buy an 2001 XT600 for a little bit cheaper, but when I saw this bike pictures, I just couldn't resist, my girlfriend also liked it better too so that was the final push and I opened my wallet.
It's a Brazilian model (I live here) and has god knows how many miles on it. Odometer is new and wasn't set to the old mileage, built in 89, 90's model. Ran less than 5000 km's since last rebuild according to the old owner (and I trust him, old collector, has a 70's CB750F as well along with a 1200GS and a pristine original RX80, dude had no reason to lie, had some pretty nice conversation with him as well). It was collecting dust on his garage and I came to save it from that fate.
Rides like a beast, named her Abaddon since it feels like it wants to kill me whenever it's close to 6k rpm. Also, feels like heavy bike to me (only ever rode 125's and mopeds) and I still haven't managed to get it on the freaking center stand (STRUGGLE). Got used to riding it though, never fell on a stop at least, received a couple of tips for riding heavy stuff from a friend who owns a Virago.
in case the image doesn't load, here's the link: i.imgur.com/2StWMXN.jpeg
Now, to work on fixing it, here's the stuff I found and fixed so far:
I mostly used a youtuber mechanic who only works on CB400s and 450s (really old school old guy, 99% of the time recommends following the manual), along with the owner's and service manuals and parts catalog - If someone needs/wants it, I can share, but they're in Brazilian Portuguese.
Air box: Had to clean the whole thing, lots of brushes and towels, made sure to only use water as to not cause issues with the plastic.
Fuel valve: While not leaking, the o-ring that attaches the filter to it is old and cracked, bought a new fuel valve and will put the new o-ring on the current one that's on the tank. Ended up with a spare valve if it ever leaks.
Edge of the head fins being painted: Just used paint sandpaper, looks beautiful now (took the pic before doing that) only did it on the edge of the head fins, like original. If it was up to me, it'd be entirely silver like the weaker CB400's that sold around here to help with cooling, but it is what it is. If it doesn't overheat, I'm happy with it.
Bad idle: Took out old gas from the tank, set the idle screw right (1300 rpm-ish), runs like a beauty now, half choke and it springs to life when cold (around 10C, 50F)
Clutch cable : Just needed adjustment, bike wanted to go forwards when the entire clutch was pulled. Took it out, adjusted, put it back in, perfect now.
Parts of the wiring harness touching the head cap: Zip-tied it, bike is missing a couple of clips, will do for now.
Throttle assembly + switches: The one on the left was a new OEM/reproduction one from a very nice brand, the throttle one however was original and so full of crap I ended up buying a new one from the same brand as the left one, works beautifully, no mods required, also made me open the headlamp and inspect the state of the harness and connectors which are not too bad (for a 35y old bike especially). Also was lucky enough to be able to disassemble the throttle and return cables without removing anything from the carbs (an absolute win in my book).
Wiring harness: it looks like it still has the original one. Hasn't given me any issues yet so I'm not replacing it, however, it's old and not flexible at all anymore, thankfully, I can find a pretty decent one for cheap from the same OEM that makes the switches.
Brake oil: As you can probably see from the picture, dangerously low, found one of the drain plug/screws was full of "stuff", ordered a new one, thankfully Honda still uses the same screw and part number to this day on newer bikes, pretty easy to find. Will be a B# to replace and drain however, I'm sure. Any tips are appreciated. Will work on it this weekend.
Engine oil + filter: For oil, I bought the exact model the manual tells me to, which where I live is the "Mobil Super Moto 20w50" (mineral) - Was thinking (and still kind of am) of putting synthetic on it, something nice like a Motul 7000 (20w50 ofc), but it's already running on Mineral and I don't want to flush it all, according to the old owner, engine ran for less than 5k km since last rebuild, and the oil that's currently on it has only been used for around 100km's. Still, old as hell, don't want to risk it. Mineral is also very cheap so not a problem. Let me know what you guys think of this. I want to baby this thing as best as I can. Filter is an OEM one but I'll put a premium one on the next change. Will do the change this weekend.
Tank: Sent it to get painted by a pro. Cost me a small fortune but I know the guy's work and he's awesome at it. Will take 10+ days which is why I'm working on fixing everything I can before it arrives. Also bought a new fuel float since the old one didn't work anymore. I have a plastic tank that I'm using just to turn it on every now and then. Also, verified that the ignition coils and CDI are still original when I took off the tank, which is another win in my books.
Carbs: Installed new hoses, but still gotta clean the carbs. It runs perfect, no issues whatsoever, but when I drained them, I saw what may have been "stuff" going through the transparent hoses. I'll work on this after finishing the oil and getting the tank repainted. Will try to get new clamps as well since the original ones kind of have a bad design.
Odometer button (trip reset): It was stolen according to old owner, buying new one next week.
Steering bearings: It turns just fine, no issues, but if my knowledge from bicycles is anything to go by, I better inspect and grease them before something happens, this is one of the few things I might take her to a mechanic to do.
Suspension, bushings, bearings and stuff: The rear suspension is brand new and pretty nice, it's on 0 pre-load (lowest setting I think) and I didn't feel the need to mess with it on a couple of rides (rode less than 50km), verified all bushings, tried to shake the wheel, that kind of thing, pressed an aluminum screwdriver against what I could find to see if there was any play, all seems good.
Now, for the MODS I'm thinking of doing in the future:
For clarity: I don't like cafes, customs or any of that sort of thing. However, I don't care about "originality" either. I like ride-able and reliable bikes. My plan is to ride it, not collect it or leave it collecting dust as the old owner did, and I think these could make it better.
- Iridium Spark Plugs: No-brainer, I can find good NGK ones for cheap, all I have to do is gap them to .6~.7mm (according to Manual) and should be fine.
- 2x1 Exhaust: They still make brand new ones for this bike around here, and they sound sweet. I'm not into loud stuff but the ones currently on the bike are OEM (although original-looking) and are kind of loud already, so by doing this I could remove the ugly (as hell) equalizer and save some weight. I imagine I'll have to enrich the mixture a little bit but I don't care about km/l (or mpg), I'll study this further before making that decision though
- CB400 II handlebars: They're higher (about 4cm), and still fit with the original plastic cap. Will need to replace throttle cables at the very least so I'm still on the fence about that, although I loved those handlebars and have used them already on other bikes (including motorized bicycles).
- LEDs: To help with the aging stator and rectifier, mostly. Headlight should be easy since it's just an H4 plug but I know turn signals and other stuff may (or will?) require messing with relays and wires, so I'm unsure about those. Headlight according to the manual is what draws the most power of the bike so I think I'd feel pretty OK only replacing it. That said, the current lamp is a Philips unit and it's looking very nice, so I might take my time. Battery is from a brand that has very good reputation as well.
Let me know what you guys think, any pieces of wisdom are appreciated, wrote this as I'm going mad from waiting for parts to arrive.
